The Federal Government has called on prospective applicants for the second cohort of the National Health Fellows (NHF) Programme to finalise their registrations ahead of the November 30, 2025 deadline.
The NHF Programme, a government initiative designed to strengthen primary healthcare delivery and expand the national health workforce, is domiciled in the Sector Wide Approach Coordination Office under the Office of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare.
According to information on the programme’s official platform, the initiative seeks to address gaps in community-level healthcare by recruiting, training and deploying young professionals to all 774 local government areas across the country. Fellows enrolled in the programme are recruited, remunerated and provided with the necessary tools to support health interventions nationwide.
A statement issued on Wednesday noted that the first cohort, admitted in January 2025, had completed its training and been deployed nationwide to support community health interventions, surveillance activities and primary healthcare strengthening at the grassroots.
Applications for the second cohort are open to Nigerians aged 25 to 35 with degrees in health sciences, information technology, social sciences and related fields. Applicants are expected to demonstrate willingness and capacity to work in community settings and contribute to public health improvement.
The government stated that the selection process remains merit-based and transparent, involving application screening, competency reviews and interview assessments, with only qualified candidates admitted.
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Successful fellows will undergo structured training covering public health principles, community engagement, disease prevention, leadership and data reporting. This will be followed by supervised field placements in primary healthcare facilities to equip participants with practical experience.
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, said the fellowship was designed to develop a new generation of healthcare leaders through capacity building and practical field engagement. He added that the success of the first cohort demonstrated the potential of young Nigerians to contribute meaningfully to national development when provided with structured opportunities.
The government reaffirmed that admission into the programme would remain strictly merit-based and encouraged interested applicants to submit their applications before the November 30, 2025 deadline.
Applicants were advised to visit the official information channels of the National Health Fellows Programme for further details.